DOT 60 : BENIGN

Daniel (7+ years old) 

One month after surgery ...

 

Mom got in touch with some survivors on the internet who had the same deadly cell as You, and at first was comforted that everyone on the survivors’ site spoke positively and was encouraging one another to fight and battle on. 

There were about twelve survivors on the site at the time she checked. They ranged from children to elderly people, all of whom had the same challenge.

As years went by, You never knew this, but You survived them all. 

Once, about four years after your first surgery, when You asked about the friends from the site, Mom mumbled that she could not find the link anymore. 

She lied. 

She had to. 

There was no way for your mother to tell You that the word "deceased" had appeared under some of the survivors' profile photos then.

You left it at that and never brought it up again.

On hindsight ... 

Dad and Mom may have stepped into the doctor's office to have the “malignant” word slammed into their faces, but when they stepped out, they radiated with everything that was “benign.” 

You were too young to understand anything. 

Besides, Dad and Mom were never pressured into explaining the real situation to You. Or to anyone else for that matter. 

You were busy living a normal and a happy childhood.

Life was back to normal …

 

 At the Grand Canyon during our trip to the States in 2004 ...

DOT 59 : OLIGO

Daniel (7+ years old) 

One month after surgery ...

Malignant …

Mom's heart made a dive down down down to uncharted waters.

Oligodendroglioma & astrocytoma … 

The names of the two strains of naughty cells that were extracted from the surgery. 

What fancy names for such deadly cells. 

Follow-up treatments were recommended, of which Mom was familiar from Grandad and Aunty Tracy’s experiences.

Radiation on the brain presented obvious risks. Besides, there was no guarantee that You would have normal functions after that. 

Chemotherapy was out of the question. 

It really did not make sense to hurt the whole body when the problem was only in the head, and "everything" had been removed after all. 

Had it not? 

That question was never discussed somehow, but the answer came to light when You had a recurrence one and half years later. 

It had not.

At home, Dad made some searches on the internet to learn more of this naughty cell. Really, there was nothing good about it. 

Not one thing. 

Survival rate was dismal. 

If Mom remembers correctly, Dad had said something like, only 20% of survivors would live past 2 years ... 

 

 Your first Holy Communion ...

DOT 58 : BIOPSY

Daniel (7+ years old) 

One month after your first surgery ...

“These are the findings of the biopsy,” 

said your doctor, handing the medical report to Dad.

Dad took the report. 

At the same time, Mom got up from her seat. Taking your hand, she led You out of the room, where Justine was engrossed playing with her gameboy right outside. 

You ran to your sister, jumped up the seat beside her. Soon You were excitedly cheering her on. Mom watched the both of You playing happily together, and a dull ache began to beat in her chest. She went back into the room, with a rock weighing her heart down. 

Dad appeared to be reading the report carefully. 

When he finished, Dad passed the piece of paper to Mom. Who would have thought that a few lines in a seemingly harmless piece of paper would hold the fate of their child?

Something has clearly happened that was about to turn their lives upside down. 

The doctor was talking to Dad.

Mom was not listening. 

Her concentration was on that sheet of paper. 

She did not need to read the whole thing. Her eyes quickly scanned through the paper. She stopped short in her tracks as she caught sight of the dreaded word she had not want to see but did. 

Your Grandfather and your Aunt Tracy’s medical reports both had this very devastating and glaring word. That one word that would cause her world to crumble at her feet. She inwardly summoned all the strength she never knew she had in her, to maintain and retain her composure ...

God, why ??? Why ???

 

 See how engrossed Justine and You were?

Wild horses couldn't drag you both away from the game machine.

DOT 57 : PEE

Daniel (7+ years old) 

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Discharged on Friday, November 15, 2002

 

Yes, Aunty Jessie visited You in the ICU the day after your surgery. We were waiting for your room in the Children's Ward to be vacated, and so You were still in the ICU. 

Your room was soon ready and You were transferred around noon time that day.

Aunty Jessie  wrote about the portable urinal which brought back memories Mom has forgotten. Yes, Mom remembers with a smile the first time You laid eyes on the portable potty ...

Your catheter had been removed. 

You needed to pee, and Dad had brought the urinal to You.

You looked at it and asked, "What's that?" 

Dad replied, "It's for You to pee. You pee inside this." 

Your eyes widen with delight, and You exclaimed, 

"Really??? Coooool!!!" 

For the rest of the day, You tried to find as many "I have to pee" moments. Yes, You did entertain us with all the pee - drama.

The day after (on Thursday), You felt progressively better. 

Justine climbed up your bed and You both started using the remote to move the bed up up up up, and down down down down ... up up up again, and down down down ... 

You two were squealing when the bed was at its highest, and only stopped playing with the remote when there was a loud cranking noise that came within the mechanics of the bed. Uh oh ...

You were discharged on Friday (November 15, 2002). 

We went straight to Sunway Lagoon to attend Dad and Mom's company's convention which was held at the place that weekend. 

Your doctor had commented that your recovery was very fast, and You were well enough to go home even though it was only 3 days since You underwent a delicate open brain surgery.

Praise the Lord! 

 

We celebrated Justine's birthday on November 20, 2002,

5 days after You were discharged from the hospital.

DOT 56 : POTTY

Daniel (7+ years old) 

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

 

Aunty Jessie wrote this entry on your facebook on March 21, 2010.

(continue from Dot 55)

You were talking, laughing, jumping around, creating  havoc ... even the nurses had to come in several times to ask us all to keep it down. 

"Didn't this boy just had a brain surgery?" 

must have been the question in everybody's minds. =)

After unwrapping bags full of toys, You were jumping for joy and bouncing about in the room and on the bed with Jus. 

Suddenly your interest was focused on something sitting by your bedside ... your portable potty. 

You were so fascinated by it and thought it was the coolest thing in the world ... 

Like who invented this stuff anyway ... 

It's brilliant! 

You were already walking and moving about and yet when it came to bathroom time, You would so cheekily ask everyone to turn the other way as You ran to different corners of the room to pee in that portable potty of yours. 

You may have just pretended to pee ... 

but You were simply hilarious ... 

You made us all laugh so hard ... 

You were such a clown running around from wall to wall with that portable potty in your hand ... 

You caused such a riot which led to yet another kind and patient reminder by the nurses to:

"Keep it down, PLEASE ... babies sleeping ..."

 

Here's You with Aunty Jessie and your favorite cat in the whole wide world ...